Apple iPhone 5 launch pushed to March 2012 – source

The rumour mill is turning again, about that hush-hush king of consumer electronics Apple and the iPhone 5. Channel partners have been told that the launch date for 23rd September has been pushed to the 1st October, but it’s not quite what everyone’s expecting…

No, instead of a full product cycle refresh for the expensive toy, alarm clock and sometimes-phone, Apple is going to release a cut-down, budget equivalent of the iPhone.

It makes some sense as Apple is finding itself pushed out of the consumer electronics charts and would undercut the successful upstart rivals that it’s suing like HTC and Samsung. Then there are other companies such as ZTE which are making sure Android products are very affordable.

In light of a components downturn and other economic factors, the iPhone 5 true is rumoured for a March 2012 release. We can also expect something quite iPaddy around that date, too.

In the meantime Apple is likely to keep its legal fight against rivals in the smartphone and tablet arena, hoping for a damaged market before it enters with the new round of gizmos and wins.

There are also some rumours floating about that the iPod Nano, which was never very disruptive, is nearing the end of its life.